


Unfulfilled Ambitions

by ankatan



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Gen, there is a lack of siblings in Boruto canon why
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:08:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26663440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ankatan/pseuds/ankatan
Summary: “I’m going to marry a regular girl who isn't too ugly and not too pretty. Have two children, first a girl, then a boy. Retire after my daughter is married and my son becomes a successful ninja, and spend the rest of my life playing shogi or go. Then die of old age before my wife.” By the time Shikamaru recites this to Asuma, saying it is second nature. No stumbles or stops. Only about a seventh of it comes true.
Relationships: Implied Nara Shikadai/Yamanaka Inojin, Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Comments: 2
Kudos: 83





	Unfulfilled Ambitions

**Author's Note:**

> I don't tend to add OC in my fics but Boruto has a severe lack in sibling characters.

Asuma openly stares at the Genin with disbelief with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. “How long have you been practicing that?”

Shikamaru shrugs as he makes his next move. “A while. The part where I play shogi or go is more recent though.”

Feeling surprised when Asuma laughs takes too much energy for Shikamaru. He just continues to focus on the shogi board as his mentor makes another predictable move. 

“Planning a hundred steps ahead, even in your own life. Should’ve expected it from you.” His laughter dies down, and his smile is replaced with a serious expression. “But life isn’t like a game of shogi. No amount of foresight is going to let things go the way you want it to.”

The sound of wood colliding rings through the cool spring air. Shikamaru gives Asuma a few seconds to digest his defeat. “Lecture me about foresight once you win a game.”

+++

Shikamaru is physically taken aback by the realization. He might not actually be the genius Asuma said he was if it has taken him this long to see it.

“Shit, you’re beautiful.”

Temari raises an eyebrow in response to her boyfriend’s sudden comment. She’s bathed in the sunset’s orange glow when the cloud overhead moves away, and it steals his breath for a second.

His heart hasn’t beaten this fast since the Fourth War.

It’s like that moment in a battle, when you’ve realized that your opponent is much stronger than you thought. Up until this point, it’s been a struggle, but you’ve been confident in your analysis. You thought you could see all of the pieces on the board.

Temari is still staring at him. Shikamaru clears his throat and readjusts his stance before continuing the walk back to the apartment she’s staying at. All the while, his mind is racing. 

Has she always been this beautiful? He thinks back to their first meeting, at the Chūnnin exam, and their second, when she saved his ass. His eyes wander up to the clouds, and lets his mind analyze every interaction they’ve ever had. 

Shikamaru has always known she was conventionally attractive. He would have to be blind not to. However, this is something different. He knows Ino is pretty, but Temari isn’t just _pretty_ , she’s… 

“Are you going to say goodbye?”

Temari’s question snaps Shikamaru out of his trance. They’ve already arrived in front of her apartment.

“Goodbye.” He turns on his heel, deciding that he’s going to need some alone time in front of a shogi board to figure this one out.

“That’s all?”

There’s a cold undercurrent in her voice. It’s a brand of terrifying that Shikamaru has come to expect and respect from her, but it’s also… hot?

What the hell is he thinking? Troublesome women, turning his own thoughts against him. Trying to figure out what she wanted was also so, so troublesome. 

He already said goodbye. There was nothing for him to apologize for. Up until his realization, their date had been going well. Was she expecting a kiss?

Shikamaru places a quick peck on her forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

A faint blush appears on her cheeks, and he turns his head away as his own cheeks begin to become warm. “Happy?” 

He was doing a good job focusing on a crack in the wall until laughter rings through the hall.

The serious expression she usually wears, well worn after over a decade of shinobi experience, has been erased from her features. It’s a rare sight, and Shikamaru won’t look away, even if he looks like an idiot, wide eyed at his girlfriend.

Shikamaru pouts as the cursed word renters his mind.

She’s beautiful.

She stops and smiles and Shikamaru realizes that he’s entered a completely different stage of battle. 

The final stage. 

“You’re always making me wait,” Temari complains. Despite her tone, she’s smiling. “I guess if I want something, I should just ask for it.”

She takes his hands and Shikamaru is definitely screwed. 

The final stage. You’re on the ground, squinting to stop the sunlight from blinding you. Completely out of breath, you can only hope that your opponent is similarly exhausted. But she comes into focus and you realize you never had a chance. 

“Will you marry me?”

In a real fight, nothing comes after. But this isn’t a battle because next comes nervous chuckles exploding into joyous laughter and a _yes_. Next comes months of planning and double checking lists. On a cool spring day, there’s a wedding mixing both Fire and Wind Country traditions. 

The rest of their life together comes after.

+++

It is too early for this.

The mattress shakes as a six year old jumps on it.

“Dad. Dad! Daaaaaaddddd.”

Shikamaru rolls on his side as he curses whatever higher power decided that Shikami would have her mother’s lungs. 

Small hands violently shake his shoulders. “Wake up, wake up, wake up.”

She also got Temari’s persistence.

In a one fluid motion, Shikamaru sits up and scopes his daughter into his arms, causing her to giggle. He yawns as he carries Shikami to her brother’s room. With one arm, he holds her, and with the other, he knocks twice.

“Shikadai, you awake yet?”

There’s no response, which is expected. Shikadai was a mirror of his father. Temari liked to joke that she gave birth to a clone.

Shikamaru lets himself in. His son is snoring away, completely covered by his blanket. He places Shikami on the bed, giving her permission to wake her brother.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” he says.

A head pokes out of the covers after a minute of aggressive shaking from Shikami. Shikadai yawns as he tries pushing her off of him. She doesn’t budge from his weak push, but she’s lifted off by her father.

“Why are we waking up so early?” Shikadai takes the clock off of his drawer. The smaller hand points at 9. “I don’t have school today, right?”

“No,” Shikami chirps, “We have to go see Granny, remember? And Ma said that if you don’t go she’ll make you regret it.”

Shikamaru can’t suppress a sigh when his son falls back into his bed, complaining about how waking up early was _such a drag_. Sometimes, he wishes Shikadai took more after his mother. 

_Sorry if I was this difficult when I was young, Dad_ , Shikamaru thinks. 

+++

“Another game,” Shikami insists as she places her shogi pieces back on the board.

Shikadai makes a comment about how boring playing against her was, but he still sets his own pieces. Hidden behind the door, Shikamaru smiles.

After dinner, once Shikadai becomes disinterested with playing his kid sister but Shikami is still insisting that she’ll win the next game, he’ll play. Watching his daughter figure out new strategies was as exciting as challenging a seasoned player.

A light breeze passes Shikamaru as he walks towards the kitchen to help Temari with dinner. Unusually, there aren’t any open doors or windows the wind could’ve slipped in from. Maybe it was just his imagination. Or maybe… 

“Is that you, Asuma?”

He sounds insane, questioning a dead man while standing in a hallway. 

However, listening to the sound of shogi pieces colliding on a wooden board, Shikamaru feels close to his old mentor.

+++

Every time Shikamaru thinks he’s endured the most pointless meeting possible, he remembers the last dozen times he was sure peak incompetence was met.

But today’s meeting had to be the limit. He wasn’t sure if he could sit through anything worse than the past 3 hours of Naruto having to haggle with the Daimyo’s representatives over funding.

“I’m going to retire,” he announces once they’ve retreated to the relative peace of Naruto’s office. Only relative, because there’s stacks of papers waiting for the Hokage’s stamp and half eaten ramen cups on the desk. 

Naruto scoffs, but he’s too tired to put any bite into it. It comes out as more of a wheeze. “You say that at least once a month.”

“I’m actually going to do it this year. Shikami’s a Jonin now, so there’s no more kids to worry about.”

“Didn’t you used to say that you would retire once your daughter got married and your son became a successful ninja? Still going with that plan?” 

“And die underneath paperwork?”

Shikamaru sighs as he remembers the argument he and Temari had with Shikami last night. They were well meaning, but in hindsight, he could see why their concern rubbed her the wrong way.

_It started civilly. A normal family dinner, although, ever since Shikadai moved out after getting married, the table had felt empty. Shikami rushed through her meal as usual, wanting to spend some extra time on a new technique._

_“Shikami, wait a bit,” Temari said as her daughter was rising out of her chair. “We want to talk to you about something.”_

_“What is it?”_

_Shikamaru and Temari looked at each other. They both remembered the result of the last time they had a similar conversation, and neither wanted to be the one leading this one._

_Shikamaru folded first. “Your mom has this friend in Suna with a son around your age. And—”_

_“No.”_

_“Are you interested in girls?” Temari guessed. “I have a different friend with a single daughter.”_

_Shikami picked up her bowl and began to leave her seat. “No, Ma. I’ve told you guys already. I’m just not interested in dating.”_

_“Sit down, Shikami. We aren’t finished,” Shikamaru said._

_“This is such a drag,” she mumbled under her breath._

_“We’re just worried for you. As you get older, your friends will become more preoccupied with their own families.”_

_Temari nodded. “We think you should at least—.”_

_Shikami cut her off before storming away. “I’m not going to get married. I’m not going to date anyone. And, no, nothing you say will change my mind.”_

Another sigh escapes Shikamaru. Were he and Temari being too meddlesome?

“Hey, Shikamaru.” A small wad of paper hits the side of his face. “Wanna make a bet?”

“No.”

“I bet a trip to Ichiraku that I’ll retire before you.”

Shikamaru scoffs and tells his friend to take a nap. His retirement plan might be running a bit late, but there was no way in hell he was saying goodbye to this office before Naruto.

(The day after the Hachidaime Hokage’s inauguration, Naruto enjoys a free bowl of ramen and Shikamaru becomes a few hundred ryo poorer.)

+++

Each breath sounds like a sandstorm trapped in her chest. Shikamaru’s chest tightens every time Temari’s eyes flutter close, and his eyes burn from holding back tears. They’re the only dry ones left in the room. Even little Inoru, sitting on Shikadai’s lap, can feel death’s grip tightening.

Temari’s gaze crawls over to her children, she can’t move her head any longer. When Inoru meets her eyes, she smiles. “Can you give your dad and me some time alone? Just a few minutes.”

The only sign that Shikami heard her mom is her fist tightening around the fabric of her pants. Her head remains lowered. Shikadai shifts his son so that he is being carried with one arm, and holds onto his sister’s hand with the other as they leave the hospital room.

“Look at you, trying to act so tough.” Her words are a slight breeze in the desert of silence. 

With permission granted, a few tears begin to roll down Shikamaru’s cheek. Her hands are too weak to hold onto his, so he holds on harder. 

His mind, forever wired for war, begins to strategize. But it’s hard to plan against the inevitable, they’re at the final stage. Nothing is coming afterwards. 

“Is it selfish for me to wish for more time?” he asks. 

They have had decades together. They have made it through the war, they have held their children in their arms, they have felt old age in their bones. It’s much more than others; Asuma, his father, Temari’s parents, so many others; have been given. 

But Shikamaru still wants more.

“You better wish for more.” Her voice can no longer raise above a raspy whisper, but Shikamaru still hears the powerful desert storm underneath. “If you follow me too quickly, I’ll smack you so hard, your ghost will go back to your body.”

“Troublesome woman,” he says out of habit. 

Shikamaru brings his lips to her forehead, and kisses her for the last time.

+++

Shikamaru catches a few raindrops dripping off of the eaves on his extended hand. It’s a shame that the sky is blanketed with gray clouds. He and Inoru had planned to go cloud watching together. 

Perhaps it isn’t too unfortunate that things hadn’t gone as planned. If he closed his eyes, the sound of gentle rain, welcoming a new spring, could lull him to sleep. 

“Hey. Gramps, wake up. It’s your move.”

Inoru’s bored expression greets Shikamaru when he opens his eyes. Despite his blond hair and whatever Ino might say, he’s a Nara, through and through. 

It takes Shikamaru a few seconds to choose his move. “If only I was younger. I would’ve beaten you ages ago.”

“Yeah, sure,” Inoru mumbles as he moves his knight. “Listening to old people talk about when they were young is such a drag.”

Shikamaru chuckles. A Yamanaka by name, but definitely a Nara by heart. “Why don’t you ever say stuff like that to your Granny? I’m sure you don’t like listening to her reminisce either.”

Inoru tries hiding his embarrassment by turning away, “Just make your move, old man.”

The sound of soft rainfall is occasionally accented by the sharp sound of wooden shogi pieces landing on the board. The uninterested facade on Inoru slips away as both players become engrossed in the game. On one side, a aged veteran of a bygone era, his hands suffering from a slight tremor. On the other, a young man, about to inherit a world built by the generations before, both its peace and conflicts. 

“Congratulations on becoming a Genin,” Shikamaru says as he captures his opponent’s king.

Inoru shrugs. “It’s nothing special.”

Despite his nonchalant attitude, Shikamaru doesn’t miss how his mouth twitches into a smirk for a split second. But, pointing it out would just invite denial.

He just nods in agreement. “Genin aren’t worth much nowadays.” 

Although he says it with a tone of disapproval, that statement carries the hopes and sacrifice of so many Shinobi from his generation and back. A world where Genin aren’t needed to do missions as their seniors battle. Where children don’t have to fight.

Shikamaru finishes setting up his side for the next game. “I’ll save the congratulations for when you become Chuunin then.”

“Who said anything about becoming a Chuunin?”

He raises an eyebrow. 

“Times have changed, Gramps. Staying a ninja my whole life sounds like a drag anyway. I’ll stay a ninja until Shika and Choumaru pass the Chunin Exams, then our squad will disband and I’ll be free to go. Working at the flower shop will give me all the money I need anyway. Settle for the first girl who’ll marry me, and have a son. And once I retire, I’ll spend the rest of my life painting and playing shogi.”

“Sounds like a solid plan,” Shikamaru says as he makes the opening move. “Marry an average girl, retire once my son became successful and my daughter married, and spend the rest of my life playing shogi. That was my life plan.”

Inoru snorts. “Auntie Shikami, marrying?”

“Well, it didn’t go exactly as planned.”

“This is turning into a lecture, isn’t it?”

“What a drag?” Shikamaru finishes for him with an amused smirk.

Inoru looks away to the light rain, and swiftly moves forward a pawn. “Just make your move, old man.”

Inoru loses the game, and the next, and the next. And when he finally wins, a few years wiser and still wearing a forehead protector, Shikamaru can’t say he foresaw it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! （＾－＾）


End file.
